Nation’s oldest WWII veteran passes away in Texas at age 112

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:21 AM PT — Friday, Dec. 28, 2018

The nation’s oldest WWII veteran has died after a battle with pneumonia. 112-year-old Richard Overton passed away on Thursday at a Texas rehabilitation facility, just one week after he was admitted for difficulty breathing.

Overton spent three-years in the Army during WWII, and has lived in the Austin area since completing his military service back in 1945.

In this May 10, 2018 photo Richard Overton, the oldest living U.S. Veteran at the age of 111, is back in the east Austin home he has owned since 1948 after a renovation provided by Meals on Wheels of Central Texas and the Home Depot Foundation. A family member says Overton, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be oldest living man in the U.S., has died in Texas. (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman via AP, file)

The veteran became a local hero following an interview, where he discussed his love for smoking cigars and drinking whiskey even after reaching triple digits in age.

He received honors in 2013 from former Texas Governor Rick Perry and former President Barrack Obama for his service to the nation.